Jerel Worthy: Decision to leave Michigan State for NFL made easier by parents' health issues

View full sizeAP PhotoMichigan State football coach Mark Dantonio, left, and defensive tackle Jerel Worthy speak during a press conference Thursday, announcing Worthy's decision to leave MSU for the NFL.

EAST LANSING -- Jerel Worthy looked and sounded like a man who had struggled with a decision that to some would be a no-brainer.

Whether he truly did, only he knows. But after what he described as sleepless nights and with his family on his mind, Michigan State’s junior defensive tackle Thursday declared his intentions to enter the NFL draft.

"It’s difficult to come up here and kind of, you know, speak about playing in your last game for MSU," Worthy said during a news conference at Michigan State’s Clara Bell Smith Center. "There are a lot of the memories that I’ve shared since I’ve been here with the friends and families I’ve grown to know. It’s difficult to come up here and speak on it.

"I know that I have an obligation as far as toward my family, as far as support, being there for them in these upcoming years."

Worthy revealed Thursday that his father, Bobby Smith, suffered a stroke in 2010, making his choice easier.

"I vowed to myself as well as my father that I would strive to do the best by him and my mother, strive to get these guys the proper health service that they need," said Worthy, whose father is still dealing with paralysis on his left side.

Worthy, a consensus All-American and projected first- or second-round draft pick, said he hasn’t hired an agent, contrary to reports. His mother, Stephanie Worthy, said her son told her of his decision at the Spartans’ hotel in Tampa, Fla., after Michigan State’s Outback Bowl win against Georgia.

"He told me, ‘I’m going to do it, Mom,’ " said Stephanie Worthy, before adding her son made it clear that if Michigan State had lost to Georgia on Monday, he’d be back for the 2012 season.

"And I believe him," she said.

"He always told me, ‘Mom, I’m going to make sure I take care of you and my dad,’" continued Stephanie Worthy, who said she expects her son to complete his degree in May. "Before his dad had the stroke, he was more concerned about my health. Because I’m going through some health issues as well. I don’t have medical, either. But, he said, ‘I’m going to take care of you, just hold on a little longer.’ But once he got the call about his dad, I think that pushed him even harder, to work hard."

View full sizeAP PhotoJerel Worthy said he'll be a Spartan for life. He has no other choice. It's tattooed on his arm.

Sitting next to Worthy on Tuesday, Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio was supportive of the 6-foot-3, 311-pound anchor of his defense -- aside from some friendly ribbing.

"The only thing I told (him), he owes us a defensive lineman, so he’s got to recruit one for us," Dantonio said.Dantonio said he sought input from the NFL College Advisory Committee, which indicated Worthy "would be a very high draft choice."

"I followed that up with calls to specific (NFL) GMs, people that I knew, people that I trusted as individuals, and also talked to a director of college scouting, different scouts throughout the process, and some coaches," Dantonio said.

"So we tried to make sure that we crossed all the T’s, dotted the I’s, so this was real, that this was something that was going to happen for him. I don’t think there’s any question he’s going to make an NFL team. There’s no question about that. But what we wanted to do is make sure that the dollars are there on the front end there for him if he decides to do this."

That information was all in place before Monday, when Rashad Anthony White’s blocked field goal secured Michigan State’s first bowl win of the Dantonio era.

Had White’s paw not found the football, Worthy said he might have made a different decision, or at least felt guilty about leaving.

"First off, I would have kind of felt like as far as a bowl win, as far as solidifying ourselves as an elite program, I wouldn’t have felt like I’d accomplished that," said Worthy, who finished this season with 10 1/2 tackles for loss and 3 1/2 sacks. "I wouldn’t probably be sitting up here had we lost just because of the simple fact that I (would have) felt like I had some more to prove.

"Over these last few years, I strived to be the best player I can be for this program. I kind of felt in my heart what better way to go out than having played in the first Big Ten championship game, having beaten Michigan four years in a row, (being an) All-American, being part of one of the most devastating defenses that’s been around Michigan State in quite some time, just being able to experience all the glorious good times that I’ve had with my teammates."

Even so, Worthy didn’t sound in a hurry to leave East Lansing.

"It’s a chapter of my life that I really don’t want to close, but at the same time you have to make many decisions in this life," he said.

"I’m going to still support the Spartan Nation no matter where I am across the country. No matter what I’m doing, I’ll be a Spartan for the rest of my life. A lot of people can kind of understand how I feel about MSU. I have a tattoo of it, so it’s kind of like this is my home. These are going to be my fans and friends for a lifetime. That’s what I’m grateful for."